California Continuation Education Association Document

Title:  New Quality Assurance and Funding Model for Continuation High Schools

Author:  Gerry Catanzarite

Date:  October 7, 1999

New Quality Assurance and Funding Model for Continuation High Schools
Presented to the Dropout Prevention and Recovery Reform Act of 2000 Committee
Presented by the California Continuation Education Association
Gerry Catanzarite, Presenter
October 7, 1999

There are currently over 550 continuation high schools in California.  All but the smallest school districts have at least one continuation high school. The primary role of the continuation high school is dropout prevention. For many years the continuation high schools have been considered to be the “First Safety Net to Keep Kids in School.”

The Tenth Grade Counseling law is part of the continuation education code section and requires that tenth grade students be counseled regarding their school performance, graduation status, and educational options. Continuation high schools are the primary educational option for students sixteen years to eighteen years old who chose not to attend the traditional high school.

Over the years, because of several factors, the effectiveness of some continuation high schools in this role has dwindled. Now, with the new academic standards and renewed effort to provide a high quality education for all students, the continuation high school’s role in dropout prevention is critical. To achieve this, a new model that insures program quality while providing adequate funding is required. The following are the recommended components to the new model:

1.      Continuation high schools not meeting the requirements outlined below will be funded at the current district base revenue limit per ADA with no add-on funding.

2.      Continuation high schools meeting the requirements listed below will be funded as outlined later in this document.

Requirements:

• Provide an opportunity for pupils to complete the required academic courses of instruction for high school graduation.
• Provide a program of instruction that emphasizes occupational orientation or a work/study schedule including work experience education.
• Offer intensive guidance services, provided or supervised by a credentialed counselor, to meet the special needs of pupils.
• Provide a program designed to meet the educational needs of each pupil, including but not limited to independent study, regional occupational programs, work study, career counseling, and job placement services, as a supplement to classroom instruction.
• Maintain a maximum teacher/student ratio of 20:1 enrolled (or 15:1 ADA?) based on teacher F.T.E.  For example, a school with five full-time teachers would have a maximum enrollment of 100 students.
• Maintain, collect and report appropriate performance data.
• Operate the school program for a minimum of six instructional hours per day.  Within the six-hour day, an appropriate schedule would be developed for each student that best meets that student’s needs.  Some students may attend only three hours per day.  Others may attend six hours per day three days per week and work full-time the rest of the week.  Some students may attend six or seven hours daily.
• Maintain a separate Administrative Unit for each continuation high school.

Continuation high schools meeting the above requirements, substantiated yearly to the County Office of Education or State Department of Education, will be funded as follows:

• Each school will receive an add-on above the generated ADA of $85,000 per year, to assist in providing the separate administrative unit and required guidance and career/work experience services.
• The 15-hour per week limit for apportionment purposes will be dropped. This means that each 180 minutes of attendance will generate one day of apportionment.  For example, if a student attends school for 180 minutes he generates one day of apportionment.  If the student attends 360 minutes, he generates two days of apportionment.  A student who attends 360 minutes per day for five days will generate ten days of apportionment.  This will be calculated by taking all attendance hours in the attendance period, dividing by 3 to get days, and then dividing by the number of days in the attendance period to get Average Daily Attendance.
• Attendance hours will include any hours of instruction supervised by a credentialed teacher as long as the hours are not apportioned to another program.  These will include hours for community classroom placements, courses taken at other schools, and up to ten hours per week for work experience education.

Rational:

• The cost to provide a full-time teacher (1 F.T.E.) is approximately $36,000 to $65,000 depending on placement on the salary schedule.  The revenue limit, although different for each district, is approximately $4,000.  Fifteen (ADA) times $4,000 equals $60,000.  Enough to pay for the beginning teacher with funds left over, but not enough to pay for the veteran teacher.  We need to provide the continuation students with the best teachers, most of whom are experienced veterans.
• More than a minimum program is needed to adequately provide the services necessary to keep pupils in school and on track to become productive citizens, especially in light of new graduation and performance requirements.
• Current law rewards districts that run two three-hour sessions rather than one six-hour session.  Currently, two three-hour students generate two ADAs while one six-hour student generates only one ADA.
• The current funding model rewards districts that maintain small (150 ADA and smaller) continuation high schools.  A continuation high school with 300 ADA would receive no funding add-on for example, while a school of 151 ADA receives over $120,000 add-on and a school of 41 ADA receives about $108,000 add-on.
• In the current funding model there is no annual review for program size or quality.  For example, the previously mentioned school of 151 ADA could double its ADA by providing a double session of three hours for each student and continue to receive the add-on even though the initial add-on was based on a ratio of 15 ADA per certificated employee.
• Current law allows hours beyond the 15 hours per week to be used to make-up for hours not attended in the previous months of the current school year.  Previous school years where there was little or no attendance are not considered.  Allowing for more than one revenue limit per student is simply making-up for attendance lost in previous years.

This plan provides for a quality continuation program that meets the needs of each student. It requires that necessary components and staffing ratios along with adequate funding to implement the program are in place. Flexibility is maintained through a system that funds hours taught allowing an individualized schedule for each student.  Annual review of program quality is a factor for continued funding.

Continuation education is the state’s best dropout prevention program. This plan will insure continued quality and student success while keeping kids in school.